From Anna Balls to spa resorts, from light summer wines to complex heavyweights, this region boasts something for everyone. And who wouldn't remember the strange reddish soils around Csopak? They are a strange formation that once seen is never forgotten. Sandstone is one of the components of many renowned wine regions around the world and is often what ensures the richness and backbone of their wines. Wines from here are characterised by great structure, vibrant, enticing acidity and restrained aromatics, Balaton wines to the core. Wines are predominantly white, but there are increasing amounts of Kékfrankos and Cabernet Sauvignon being produced too.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
The wine district stretches along the northern shore of Lake Balaton, from Zánka to Balatonalmádi. Geographically, Balatonfüred-Csopak is part of the Balaton Highlands. The total vineyard area of the wine district is 6,340 hectares. The actual area under vine is currently 2,143 hectares, of which 1,694 are currently productive.
SOIL
Its soils are varied. Forest soils overlay crystalline shale, Permian red sandstone and Quaternary loess, while rendzina soils formed on Triassic limestone, dolomite and marl. The characteristic pronounced acidity of the Csopak and Balatonfüred wines reflects the effect of this calcareous soil.
CLIMATE
It is characterised by a temperate, continental climate. Its favourable slope angle and fragmented topography create extremely favourable microclimates and terroir.
GRAPE VARIETIES AND TYPICAL WINE STYLES
The wine district is primarily a white wine area, although this has not always been the case. Nineteenth-century reports also note red wine production. Currently, besides Olaszrizling, planted on 616 hectares, there is a significant amount of Chardonnay, while the proportion of Müller-Thurgau (Rizlingszilváni in Hungarian) has also increased in the last decade and a half. It is a typical white wine growing region, with Olaszrizling as its flagship variety. Overall, the region is ideally suited for making the kind of wines with temperature-controlled fermentation that are currently in fashion; however, their peers, which have undergone longer ageing and have better preserved their individuality, always seem to boast greater merit. Olaszrizling can drop its acidity relatively quickly, so special attention needs to be paid to the timing of the harvest. The best wines are now marketed each year under the Csopak Codex trademark. They boast wonderful texture, a salty-mineral character and restrained aromatics. They are elegant and nuanced wines, which clearly reflect their terroir, which is why some of the Csopak producers created the Csopak Codex trademark in 2012 to differentiate their best wines. These wines can only be made from grapes originating from the best vineyards, currently 40 in total. Much stricter than average regulations specify that these wines can only be produced from ripe, but not overripe or botrytised, grapes, with specific acidity and alcohol levels. There are also special rules for when they can be released.